


Business Casual

by sunsetmondays



Category: Thrilling Intent (Web Series)
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Tumblr Prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:56:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4191219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsetmondays/pseuds/sunsetmondays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>- A collection of various inter-related business AU drabbles from tumblr. -<br/>Ashe bails the morning after a casual hookup to attend a job interview, only to be very surprised to find out just who her potential new boss is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ashe tried not to feel guilty for just slipping away like that in the morning before the poor guy woke up. Yeah, it was just a one night stand and maybe they were a little drunk, but she had a job interview to go to. No time to stick around and make nice before the awkward I’m leaving now and will probably never see you again part.

She pushed her hair back and tried not to think about it too much. Her interview was in a couple of minutes. She had more important things on her mind such as working out how to convince these idiots to hire her. She’d work anywhere else if she didn’t need the money so bad, and well, these guys were offering up a fairly generous cheque.

“Aesling>” a voice interrupted. A young woman, not much older than her, appeared from around the corner. Ashe nodded and smoothed out her suit. The woman quietly lead her to the interview room.

With a plastered on smile, she pushed open the door and strode in.

“Hell-” she choked and stared, the door swinging shut behind her.

At the desk sat a man with slicked back hair, strong features, and a slight scowl. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. Ashe tried not to think about how she remembered tugging off that same blue tie during their little tirade last night.

“Oh, it’s you-”

“This is awkward-” 

They cut each other off. If Thog, as she had learnt was his name last night, was perturbed at all, he didn’t show it. Instead, he stared, arms folded neatly on his desk and expression unmoving.

Ashe knew she was blushing. Whatever confidence she had when she strode in was quickly dissipating. Her heart stuttered in her chest and she tried not to trip as she made her way to the chair.

Thog picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers. Ashe shifted in her seat. Thog continued to stare. The silence was unnerving.

“So,” she said. She struggled to meet his eyes.

He pulled a small bundle of papers from his draw. “Last night was good,” he said. He didn’t even blink. Something was scribbled at the top of the paper. Then, after a moment of silence, he said, “I think we can skip the introductions.”

This wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Besides the rather awkward circumstances of the job interview (she thankfully got the job after all), working at the corporation hadn’t been all that bad of an experience. Work was boring but bearable and as long as things were done, upper management kept their noses out of the joint.

Thankfully (or maybe not - she had yet to decide), she’d only spoken a handful of times with Thog since the interview. Each conversation was stilted, and tinged with an air of something (again, she had yet to decided on what), but Thog kept things professional. However, when she had seen him walking around, she had noticed that he distinctly hadn’t worn that same blue tie since.

They seemed to have fallen into a sort of dance of careful avoidance. They saw each other at a minimum and spoken only as necessary. For the most part, it worked. Ashe even seemed to have developed a talent for looking anywhere but at him during staff meetings when they sat at opposite ends of the room.

However, today she was late. It was a bleary Monday and she’d wound up at the bar the previous night at a friend’s beck and call. This time, thankfully, she woke up in her own bedroom very much alone. However, the drinks served had hit her a little harder than normal and she’d managed to oversleep.

Ashe crept into the staff room and slipped into the nearest vacant seat by the door. Thankfully, her entrance had gone unnoticed.

“You’re late.”

Well, mostly unnoticed. Thog sat deadpan beside her. Dammit. There was a reason why she always sat by the windows. Her friends teased her for shamefully avoiding him, but it was work. Ashe felt it to be entirely necessary. She had convinced herself she would have never done it in the first place if she knew he was one of the supervisors. No matter how seductive (and good) he was after a few glasses of scotch.

“Sorry,” she said meekly. Ashe hoped that that would be the epitome of their interaction for the day.

Thog appeared to have other plans.

“Mm. Sales aren’t the only thing you like to see rise.”

It barely registered when she heard it, whether it was because it was spoken at almost a whisper or because it was Thog who had said it was up for debate. Still, Ashe clapped a hand to her mouth, holding back a splutter.

Thog looked at her and raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘what?’. Ashe shook her head and regained her composure.

That was until Thog made another comment and Ashe struggled to swallow her laughter. She chewed at her lip, chest shaking. Thog glared at her as if she were being entirely inappropriate. Ashe didn’t fail to notice his smirk.

For the entirety of the meeting, Thog continued with his comments. He seemed to have something to say with every new speaker. It was agonising. Her cheeks hurt and she was sure she had gotten a few strange looks from the other staff members.

By the end, she didn’t know if she wanted to punch him or- or what.

When the rest of the staff cleared, she faced him in the hallway. She folded her arms and glared. “Well fuck you too.”

Thog grinned, “Been there, done that,” and left without a word.


	3. Chapter 3

“Fuck!” Ashe jumped, nearly spilling her drink as heavy hands landed on her shoulders. Music pulsed through the room with a dizzying intensity. Ashe wished she’d worn something with a little less sleeve. It was getting hot in here.

Ashe turned around, the stranger’s hands falling from her shoulders. She didn’t need to see who it was to begin to glower. However, seeing the man with meticulously neat black hair and a challenging smirk in front of her didn’t make her glower any softer.  _Dammit. He said he wasn’t coming._

He appraised her visibly, mechanical and judging. Ashe cut him off before he could let loose a snarky comment. “What are you doing here?”

Like that would stop him. “Nice skirt.”

_Asshole._

She knew what he was thinking and he was entirely wrong. He had clearly said he wasn’t going to the company’s New Year’s party. Clearly. Besides, she was wearing that skirt because she liked it, thank-you very much. The fact that it crept almost dangerously up the back of her thighs was purely coincidental, for the most part. Thog wasn’t the only attractive co-worker in this place, and what others lacked, they more than made up in charm.

“You said you weren’t coming,” she quipped.

Thog shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I changed my mind.”

Matching his idle stare, Ashe remained silent. In the past month since the one time she was late to a meeting, her interactions with Thog had been even sparser. He did his job, she did hers. All was right in the world.

Except Thog seemed to have become steadily more infuriating and nothing was right at all.

He hadn’t mentioned their little tirade together again but Ashe swore he was holding it over her in some way. Sometimes when she looked up from her work, he was there, looking. Always looking. It was like he was picking her apart with his eyes, layer by layer. For a co-worker - a supervisor - he already knew far too much about her, and it was like that alone wasn’t enough.

At least he still hadn’t worn that god-forsaken blue tie.

Except for tonight. Ashe grimaced. Loose around his neck, it went surprisingly well with his button up shirt and dark jeans. It was unusually business-casual for him, with a flair of dishevelled charm. It looked good on him-

“Not gonna happen,” she announced. She knew exactly where this was heading.

Thog raised an eyebrow; gave her a puzzled look.

Ashe turned and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

A good few months after the New Year’s party and they’d fallen back into rhythm. It wasn’t always a comfortable rhythm but it worked. Thog minded his business, Ashe minded hers. Work was for work stuff and they never saw each other elsewhere so it never really mattered. Everything was fine.

It was easy enough to ignore lingering glances in the hallway; easy enough to pretend to forget. But then, Ashe was called into his office. She only expected the worst.

~ ~ ~

“Oh. No. I’ll do  _anything_  not to get fired over this,” said Ashe. She leaned back in her chair, arms folded and sounding about as interested as one of those prize fishes still hanging off the hook that you sometimes see in photographs, dead-eyed stare and all. She glanced back at the door and tried not to shiver.

“ _Anything_?”

“No.” 

Thog frowned at her humourless response and continued their begrudging stare-down. Ashe made no move to continue the conversation. The air stilled. She fidgeted in her chair.

Thog sighed and leant forward and tapped his pen against the table. Ashe offered him a weak smile. After a lengthy silence, he began. “Look, you’re over a month behind on the project, Ashe. My boss is on my ass and if you don’t clean up your act, I’m gonna have to do something about it.”

Ashe stiffened. She’d seen this coming for weeks but she’d been hoping that the company- that her supervisor at least would cut her a little slack. The end of the financial year was approaching fast and after her time off with the flu, work had been piling up. She had been working hard to remedy the situation, but obviously not hard enough.

“I know,” she sighed. The chair squeaked under her wait. She stared down at her hands, now neatly folded in her lap.

“Unfortunately, knowing isn’t good enough.”

Dust motes floated past the window. Ashe sighed again. “I kn- I’m sorry. What can I do to fix this?”

Thog traced circles on the desk with his unopened pen, looking pensive. Eventually he declared, “I think I can hold off my boss for a little longer. That should allow you to put in some overtime and get this cleaned up -” Ashe unclasped her hands and relaxed her shoulders. “- but you are gonna owe me one.”

“Anything.”

“ _Anything?”_

“No.”

“Can’t blame a man for trying,” shrugged Thog. His playful smirk returned. Ashe no longer found the office so cold and confining.

Ashe pushed her chair back. “Anyway, thank-you, Thog. I do appreciate it. And you’re right. I do owe you one - just name your price.” She slipped her feet into her shoes and straightened out her skirt.

“I’ll let you know when I think of something. Just get that work done,” said Thog.

After a curt nod, Ashe went to leave. Only when she had her hand on the door did Thog speak again. “Ashe,” he began. Ashe turned back. He faltered. She waited. “Dinner, Friday night. That a fair price?” he asked.

“Sounds fair enough to me.”


End file.
